Tradition

Tradition sous voiles au large d’Anguilla
Traditional sailing off the coast of Anguilla. Photo: tradition-sailing.com
  • Kind — Carriacou sloop, wooden hull
  • Built — 1978
  • Length — 50 feet — approx. 15.2 m
  • Built by — unidentified shipwright
  • Owners — Laurie Gumbs and Deb Vos, since at least 2011
  • Place — hand-built on a beach in Carriacou
  • Current base — Sandy Ground, Anguilla

From freight to smuggling, then to charter

Like most of the island's sloops, Tradition was originally a working boat: designed for sailing trade, it exploited the trade winds to carry goods from island to island.

Its history includes a less savory chapter. According to its current owners, it transported contraband from Saint-Barthélemy during the era of alcohol and cigarette trafficking, right up until the 1990s. That's exactly what these hulls were designed for: fast enough to outrun patrol boats.

Converted into a charter sailboat, it now sails from Sandy Ground in Anguilla.

2009: at the first West Indies Regatta

In 2009, Tradition was one of the eight boats in the first West Indies Regatta, in Saint-Barthélemy, alongside Genesis, Sweetheart, Ocean Nomad, Good Expectation, Summer Cloud, the schooner Alexander Hamilton and Plumbelly.

All At Sea magazine then presented it as Frank Pierce's boat, a classic sloop that had been rebuilt.

2011: in dry dock in Saint-Martin

In the spring of 2011, Tradition belonged to Deb and Laurie. The boat was in dry dock in Saint Martin for repairs. In 2013, All At Sea reported that its restoration in Saint Martin, initially planned for three weeks, ultimately lasted five months, with shipwrights coming from Carriacou.

Tradition, Deb and Laurie's 50 foot sloop also built for cargo and smuggling around the islands.

Tammy Sharp, Picton Castle logbook, May 13, 2011

On April 26, 2011, Tradition sailed with two other Carriacou sloops, Pipe Dream and Good Expectations. On board were sailors from the three-masted Picton Castle, who were then heading to Saint Barthélemy for the West Indies Regatta. Two of them, Tammy and Adrienne, arrived in Gustavia on Tradition.

That year, nine Carriacou sloops set sail from Saint-Barth: Tradition, Pipe Dream, Good Expectation, Genesis, Summer Cloud, New Moon, Ocean Nomad and Sweetheart.

An Anguillan and a former resident of Picton Castle

Laurie Gumbs has been an Anguillan for many generations. His father, Sir Emile Gumbs, headed the Anguilla government and owned the historic schooner Warspite.

Deb Vos sailed as crew on the Picton Castle during a transatlantic voyage. She met Laurie two years before 2011, at a regatta. In 2011, the couple also bought the sloop. Pipe Dream.

An old-fashioned charter flight, at Sandy Ground

In 2013, Tradition offered day trips from Anguilla. On board, there were no winches or windlasses: everything was done by hand, as in the days of freight. All At Sea described it at the time as a traditional 55-foot wooden sloop, a length different from that advertised by its owners.

In June 2024, the Picton Castle makes a stopover in Sandy Ground, and its crew embarks once again on Tradition. Its captain, Daniel Moreland, recalls that the sloop is painted red, as were many sloops and schooners in Grenada.

What remains to be found

The name of the shipwright, the owners between 1978 and 2009, and the history of the boat during its years in freight service remain to be established. Any information, photographs, or memories are welcome.

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Contact — Tradition

Sources

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